Since 2011, Together in MS tandem cycling teams, which include the NOW and Novartis for MS professional women cyclists and people living with MS, have ridden about 1,000 miles on tandem bicycles at 15 National MS Society Bike MS events across the country to raise awareness and inspire people. This year's tour begins on June 8 in Duluth, Minn. with a total of five stops nationwide, including: Denver, Colo. (June 29), Seattle, Wash. (Sept. 7), Morristown, N.J. (Sept. 21) and Ventura, Calif. (Oct. 12).

That was a very interesting discussion with the hosts of about a half dozen reality shows. I thought this was the best part about TAR. Phil gives his thoughts about why the Family Edition was a bad idea:

TheHollywoodReporter: Looking back, is there a scene or moment on your show that you wish hadn't aired?

Klum: Thankfully, I don't have anything like that.

Jackson: I don't think there's any moment on Idol I wish hadn't aired. If you're calling yourself a real reality show, you have to show it all.

Keoghan: I wish we hadn't done the family version of Amazing Race, but I'm proud that we tried it. It didn't work, and it came back to the whole thing of having to eliminate kids. It's hard enough to eliminate anybody because they want to be there so badly, and I had to look into a kid's eyes with the tears pouring down with a raised eyebrow and dramatic pause, cameras coming in: "I'm sorry to tell you, you've been eliminated."

Klum: You're a monster, Mr. Keoghan.

Keoghan: So we do the family version of The Amazing Race, and the very first family that I have to eliminate is the Black family, who happen to be black. They were an amazing family, and I was talking to the father about how he wanted to be addressed. He said, "I want to be called the Black family. I'm very proud of my name, and I'm proud to be black." I was like, OK, and so we go to Harlem, and I'm doing a school visit, and I'm standing on the stage thinking, "How am I going to do this?" It's 800 kids, and I go, "And now from The Amazing Race: Family Version, please welcome …" And I just didn't know what else to say but "the Black family." I thought I was going to be killed, and then Mr. Black, thankfully, came up and said, "Hey, settle down, that's our name, we're Black, and we're brown." He saved my life. I guess I wish that hadn't aired.

More than 2,000 people from Seattle and the surrounding areas will be traversing a route through Skagit and Island counties to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis Sept 7-8.

Among those pedaling will be Phil Keoghan, host of TV’s reality show “The Amazing Race.”

Keoghan is founder of No Opportunity Wasted and an advocate of MS research who is working with the tandem cycling organization called Together in MS.

Whidbey Island has been a regular destination each of the three years of the event.

The route offers riders an opportunity to “test their endurance on several dynamic courses each day, ranging from 22 to 97 miles, offering views of stunning landscapes as well as access to several stocked rest stops,” said Rick Desimone.

Desimone is handling public relations for the event.

The two-day Washington Bike MS Ride begins and ends at the Skagit County Fairgrounds.

During the two-day ride, cyclists can traverse one of four courses each day ranging from 22 to 97 miles, turning around at La Conner, Deception Pass, downtown Oak Harbor or North Penn Cove.

Keoghan will be pedaling on a tandem bicycle in this year’s ride, along with Regina Lyalls, a mother and professional who is living with MS.

Her connection to the Bike MS rides is personal. On the same day she received her first Bike MS ride registration packet, her doctor called with her diagnosis. Lyalls is determined to continue forward on her path and not allow her disease to take her away from what she loves to do — cycle.

Lyalls attributes her determination to the many dedicated individuals she has met through the Together in MS program.

The Greater Northwest Chapter of the National MS Society sponsors three rides annually: the one in Washington, one in Montana which occurred in August and one in Alaska which is occurring Sept. 7-8 as well.

According to organizers, the campaign seeks to inspire the MS community by showing that MS does not have to define or limit the aspirations of the more than 400,000 people in this country who are living with the disease.

There are 100 Bike MS events a year all around the country.

Keoghan has been telling stories in front of TV cameras for 25 years. His work has earned him numerous awards, including nine prime-time Emmy Awards as a producer and host of the CBS’s The Amazing Race.

Since 2011, the Together in MS tandem cycling teams have ridden approximately 1,200 miles at 17 National MS Society Bike MS events across the country to help raise awareness of MS in local communities.

Together in MS will participate in a series of five Bike MS rides across the country in 2013.

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Simplicity. That's the key to the success of The Amazing Race, believes its host Phil Keoghan.

"Many reality shows over the years have tried to do complicated, outrageous formats to get people's attention but we've stuck to essentially the same easily defined idea - people following clues and racing around the world for a prize," the Lincoln-born 46-year-old says down the phoneline from Los Angeles.

"Like any idea though the challenge is executing it. Fortunately, we have a group of people who are the best at what they do and have kept the standards up for more than a decade."

New Zealand is currently airing the 22nd edition of Race and tonight's episode the first of two set in our backyard, something Keoghan is proud to have helped negotiate.

"Our executive producer Bertram van Munster came to me and asked me about another visit to New Zealand (their fourth overall) and I asked him whether it would be possible to go to my hometown Christchurch because I really felt it would give the region a real boost (after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes) and a well-needed Vitamin B injection in the gluteus maximus - if you know what I'm saying.

"To his credit, he really embraced the idea and so I worked to put together some challenges with Canterbury Tourism, who I've been an ambassador for, and New Zealand Tourism and Air New Zealand, and collectively we all came up with some great stuff."

Keoghan says he particularly enjoyed working with people who are his friends and, in the true Canterbury tradition, from his high school (St Andrew's College).

"Christchurch Airport chief operating officer Andrew Lester was my classmate and cricket teammate. I got a tremendous sense of pride out of being able to bring the production to Christchurch in November last year, but also the fact that tens of millions of people around the world will see that Canterbury was open for business, which I hope will have positive effects for the region."

Keoghan says competition for showcase slots on the show is now fierce, a far cry from when they started out. "In the beginning it was about us reaching out.

People were like 'what are you doing'?, 'how does that work'? and we had to convince people it would be something good to be a part of. Now, because we're a global phenomenon airing in more than 100 countries we get a lot of people coming to us saying 'we would love to host you and this is what you could do'.

So does that mean there aren't places left where Race is not known? "There are definitely still places where they don't know what it is, but for the most part our cameras give us away.

"You know the world has changed so much, six years ago we could pretty much keep everything a secret, but now with Twitter people can throw up a photograph of teams waiting for a flight and provide updates. However, for the most part our fans are very respectful about not spoiling it for people."

A big fan of social media, Keoghan says he's not worried about things leaking out into the public arena now. "If people find out that this season goes to Christchurch and the contestants take part in a shemozzle how does that affect their wanting to watch the show? That doesn't tell them what happened, what transpired. Did somebody have a breakdown? What was the drama that took place? If we're just talking about the nuts and bolts then to me that only entice people - 'oh man, I got to watch that show to see what happens'."

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Surprisingly the question Keoghan says he's most asked is what he does when the team's are running around. "Really all you've got to do is the maths. We do 80,000 to 100,000km each season. Divide that by 21 days, then work out that we're going to upwards of a dozen countries and factor in all the flight times, challenges and places I go to and then ask yourself 'how much time is left over'? As soon as the last teams come in I'm on the next flight out so I can arrive at the next destination before they do."

But what happens if there's bad weather? "Yeah, that can be the worst for us. We're just constantly praying that the cameras are going to be able to see how beautiful places are - because we get one shot, one windows and if we happen to roll the wrong dice on the weather you're done - there's nothing you can do about it. This is not Discovery Channel where you can sit and wait for six weeks for a bird to come out of a nest."

It's that fast-paced, high-stakes nature that Keoghan believes keeps viewers and contestants coming back to the show. "It grows exponentially each season - it's ridiculous, it's insane. Now of course we have people who want to be a part of the show who aren't US citizens - and fortunately there are now enough franchises around the world, including Australian, Asian, Canadian and Israeli Amazing Races, people can apply for.

"I think the interest in competing is increasing because people see it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Also, we've established a reputation that we're not about humiliating people for the sake of making television."

Still enthusiastic about his own involvement in the show ("I'm loving it - it's always fresh and stimulating"), Keoghan admits it's a far cry from his first television job almost 20 years ago, working in Studios 3 and 4 in the former TVNZ building on Gloucester St, Christchurch.

He admits to still being very fond of his home province and is actually currently working on a documentary about one of it's less heralded heroes. Filmed during the recent running of the 100th Tour De France, Le Ride sees Keoghan retracing the 1928 Tour course using a period cycle.

The Australasian team of that tour (the first English-speaking team to compete in the great race) that Keoghan and his colleagues are paying tribute to included Cantabrian Harry Watson. "We just want to let people know who he is. It's going to play in theatres and hopefully on the Showtime channel here in the US, but I'm also hopeful it will get to cinemas in New Zealand as well."

The Amazing Race host shares with BuzzFeed his personal adventures from a lifetime of travel.posted on September 29, 2013 at 12:57pm EDTAshley Perez

In honor of Season 23 of The Amazing Race BuzzFeed Travel spoke to adventurer and TAR host Phil Keoghan to find out his favorite destinations from around the world.

CBSBelow is a collection of Phil’s personal photos and memories:

16. Indonesia

“Indonesia is comprised of more than 17,000 islands and might be the most culturally diverse place on Earth. We could visit this surprising destination 100 times and still find something new and exciting for Amazing Race.”

--> We've only been there for 4 times..which could means there's still 96 visits to go

The Amazing Race host shares with BuzzFeed his personal adventures from a lifetime of travel.posted on September 29, 2013 at 12:57pm EDTAshley Perez

In honor of Season 23 of The Amazing Race BuzzFeed Travel spoke to adventurer and TAR host Phil Keoghan to find out his favorite destinations from around the world.

CBSBelow is a collection of Phil’s personal photos and memories:

16. Indonesia

“Indonesia is comprised of more than 17,000 islands and might be the most culturally diverse place on Earth. We could visit this surprising destination 100 times and still find something new and exciting for Amazing Race.”

--> We've only been there for 4 times..which could means there's still 96 visits to go

Gag me with a spoon and fix me up a trip to Bangladesh. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd rather see India again than watch another boring episode of Indonesia. All the times the race has visited Indonesia, it has been a snooze button for me.

TV host Phil Keoghan and Kiwi chef Josh Emett have signed up to play in the New Zealand Gold Open in Queenstown.

Keoghan, who has worked in tv for 20 years, is no stranger to Queenstown and is a guest of the Milford Track Guided Walk team.

"During my career I've always tried to find an excuse for shooting in Queenstown, so I simply can't wait to come back again. I just never thought it would be for golf," Keoghan said.

He is best known for his role as presenter for The Amazing Race.

"Queenstown is also where I broke a world bungee jump record, leaping with commercial bungy jumping inventor Henry Van Asch. You never know, he might get me up there again!

New Zealand Master Chef judge Josh Emett will also join the celebrity pack.

Emett has two restaurants in Queenstown - Rata and his new venture Madam Woos - and said he was looking forward to "a different sort of challenge".

Although no stranger to the limelight, Emett, who is a guest of Michael Hill Jewellers in the tournament, confessed that "teeing off in front of a crowd of people, quite frankly, terrifies me".

"My game needs plenty of work but I've been hitting the driving range and getting in a few rounds."

The four day tournament will also feature major Australasian sporting celebrities - former cricketers Stephen Fleming, Ricky Ponting, Allan Border and Mark Richardsonand rugby greats Jeff Wilson, Justin Marshall and Nick Farr-Jones. Also joining the field is former New Zealand netballer Julie Coney, ex All Blacks Andrew Mehrtens and Andy Haden and ex All Black coach John Hart.

Today's announcement comes hot on the heels of news that well-known American dancer, choreographer and model Cris Judd will also join the field alongside Australian rugby great Wendell Sailor.

Tournament Director Michael Glading said: "There are certainly some old sporting rivalries at play this year and it'll be great to see everyone's competitive natures come out in force.''